Posted on

Dr. Lloyd Ridgeon (University of Glasgow) gave his special lecture

Dr. Lloyd Ridgeon (University of Glasgow) gave his special lecture titled “Rūmī’s criticism of Awḥad Al-Dīn Kirmānī’s shāhid-bāzī” on 16 January.

Date: January 16, 2024, Tuesday, 16: 00-18: 00
Venue: Meeting Room [AA447], 4th floor, Research Bldg. No. 2, Yoshida Campus, Kyoto University

Program:
Lloyd Ridgeon (University of Glasgow）“Rūmī’s criticism of Awḥad Al-Dīn Kirmānī’s shāhid-bāzī”

Co-hosted by:
Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, Kyoto University
“”Sunnis” and “Shiʿis”: Historical Inquiries into Confessional Identities and Mutual Perceptions” (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), 23H00674, JSPS)
Kazuhiro Arai Laboratory, Faculty of Business and Commerce, Keio University
Center for Islamic Area Studies, Kyoto University

In cooperation with:
“Comprehensive Study of Sufism: Through Metaphysics, Literature, Music and Rituals” （Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research(B) (International Collaborative Research), 21KK0001, JSPS）



Posted on

The Reports of the 2nd Research Meeting (2023) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World”

The 2nd Research Meeting (2023) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (22H00034, JSPS)” (“Moderate Islam”)

Date: November 12th Sunday, 2023
Venue: Through online

Report 1: SASAKI Takuo (Kurume University) “Religious Pluralism in Indonesian Islam: From Kartini to Nurcholish Madjid”

In Indonesian Islam, where interreligious harmony is an issue, “religious pluralism,” which advocates the plurality and equality of religions under a transcendent God, has developed as a trend of thought. It can be traced back to Kartini during the Dutch colonial period, and was also reflected in the founding ideals of the country by Sukarno. What is even more important is that from the end of the 1960s onwards, it was inherited by some “Muslim intellectuals,” including Ahmad Wahib, Johan Effendi, Gus Dur, and Nurcholish Madjid. Although it cannot be denied that the patronage of the Suharto regime existed in the background of their intellectual endeavors, religious pluralism may have survived due to the depth of their religious/theological thinking itself.

Report 2: AKAHORI Masayuki (Sophia University) “Between Moderate Islam and Islamic Moderates: Exploring the “Anthropology of Islam” through Fieldwork”

This presentation delved into the application of Talal Asad’s concept of “discursive tradition” to ethnographic writing based on fieldwork. It examined a case study involving three close relatives of Bedouins in the Western Desert of Egypt. The discussion centered on how these individuals, influenced by their ages and the nature of their education, held varying perspectives on what constitutes “correct Islam.” Furthermore, it explored how they engaged in exchanging and debating their opinions. One of the subjects also underwent changes in his attitude towards Islam between 1993 and 2011.
From this analysis, it is highlighted that the arenas where discursive traditions are formulated are highly fluid. Consequently, it is imperative to view Islamic moderates, alongside Islamic radicals, as actively shaping their own discursive traditions through exercising their own disciplinary powers. This emphasizes the necessity of situating the concept of “moderate Islam” within a specific socio-political context rather than assuming it as self-evident.
The presentation underscored that while “moderate Islam” is often perceived as a counter movement to radical Islam, it also comes to adopt a religious nationalism and some other political orientations as radical Islam does. Despite the presentation’s organizational shortcomings, it generated fruitful discussions, including the suggestion of using the term “middle way” (中道) instead of “moderate” (穏健). This suggestion holds promise for expanding research frameworks from dichotomous one of moderate and radical to encompass radical Islam, moderate Islam, and secularism.

 

Posted on

The 2nd Research Meeting (2023) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World” was held

The 2nd Research Meeting (2023) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey (22H00034, JSPS)” (“Moderate Islam”) was held as follows:

Date: November 12th Sunday, 2023
Venue: Through online
Program
AKAHORI Masayuki (Sophia University)

SASAKI Takuo (Kurume University)

Reports is here

Posted on

On-demand lecture series “Transmission of Sacredness in Islam: Prophet’s Family, Saints’ Descendants, and Holy Relics” will be held

On-demand lecture series “Transmission of Sacredness in Islam: Prophet’s Family, Saints’ Descendants, and Holy Relics” will be held jointly with the Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, Kyoto University, which offer two lecture videos on November 13 and the other two on November 20, until December 3 (in Japanese). This is one of the programs of Sophia Open Research Weeks 2023.

Date: From November 13 (Monday) / November 20 (Monday) to December 3 (Sunday), Online

Contact:
Institute of Islamic Area Studies at Sophia University (SIAS) ：sias-co@sophia.ac.jp

This lectures was supported by:
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (P19H00564, JP21KK0001, JP22H00034)
The Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan

For more information, please visit
https://dept.sophia.ac.jp/is/SIAS/achievement/2023/sorw_2023.html

Posted on

SIAS/KIAS-CNRS Joint Seminar 2023 “SUFISM AND SAINT VENERATION PAST AND PRESENT” was held

The Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, Center for Islamic Area Studies at Kyoto University (KIAS), Institute of Islamic Area Studies at Sophia University (SIAS) and Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) held the SIAS/KIAS-CNRS Joint Seminar 2023 “SUFISM AND SAINT VENERATION PAST AND PRESENT”.

Date: September 1, 2023, 9:30-16:30
Venue: Collège de France – Centre d’études ottomanes Salle Claude Lévi-Strauss, 52 rue du Cardinal Lemoine, 75005 Paris

Program:
9:30-9:45 Alexandre PAPAS (CNRS-EPHE) & Thierry ZARCONE (CNRS-GSRL): Introduction

9:45-10:15 HARA Rikuo (Kyoto University): “Traditionalist Ways of Dhikr: The Case of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzīya”
10:15-10:30 Rachida CHIH (CNRS-CETOBaC): Chair, Q&A

10:30-11:00 KONDO Fumiya (Sophia University): “From Festivals to Anniversaries: Recent Reconstructions of Mawlid’s Space in Egypt”
11:00-11:15 Rachida CHIH: Chair, Q&A

11:15-11:30: Break

11:30-12:00 UCHIYAMA Chie (Sophia University): “Destructuring the Discours of ‘Islam noir’ Persisting in Senegalese Islamic Education”
12:00-12:15 Thierry ZARCONE: Chair, Q&A

12:15-13:45 Lunch

13:45-14:15 Clara GAUTIER (Université Paris 1 Sorbonne): “Burns and scars: representations of Bektashi self-mutilations in illustrated manuscripts and in various ‘Collection of Ottoman Costumes’ (15th-18th centuries)”
14:15-14:30 AKAHORI Masayuki (Sophia University): Chair, Q&A

14:30-15:00 Makbule Nur AYAN (CNRS-CETOBaC): “Khoja Ahmad Yasavi in Turkey’s political discourse between 1998 and 2022”
15:00-15:15 TONAGA Yasushi (Kyoto University): Chair, Q&A

15:15-15:30: Break

15:30-16:00 MARUYAMA Daisuke (National Defense Academy of Japan): “Who are Ahl al-Dhikr?: Political Appropriation of Sufism and Saint in Contemporary Sudan”
16:00-16:15 Alexandre PAPAS: Chair, Q&A

16:15-16:30 AKAHORI Masayuki & TONAGA Yasushi: Conclusion

Convenors:
Akahori M., Tonaga Y., C. Gautier, Kondo F., A. Papas, Suzuki M., Th. Zarcone

Sponsors:
Institute for Islamic Area Studies (SIAS)
Center for Islamic Studies-Graduate School of Asian and African Studies (KIAS)
Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies (KR)
Groupe Société, Religion et Laïcité, UMR8582 – CNRS (GSRL)
Islam médiéval, UMR8167 – CNRS (Orient et Méditerranée)
Centre d’études ottomanes, Collège de France (CEO)



Posted on

The Joint Seminar “Bridging Mystical Philosophy and Arts in Sufism: Poetry, Music and Sama’ Ritual” was held

The Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies, and Uskudar University Institute for Sufi Studies held the Joint Seminar “Bridging Mystical Philosophy and Arts in Sufism: Poetry, Music and Sama’ Ritual” as follows. (This Joint Seminar was as part of the “Comprehensive Study of Sufism: Through Metaphysics, Literature, Music and Rituals” (Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research(B) (International Collaborative Research) ), 21KK0001, JSPS ).

Date: August 28th Monday, 2023, 10:00-19:00
Venue: Nermin Tarhan Hall, Uskudar University

Program
Opening Session
Welcoming Speeches: Cemalnur Sargut
Yasushi Tonaga, Ph.D., Prof.
“Aim and Scope of the Joint Research ‘Comprehensive Study of Sufism: Through Metaphysics, Literature, Music, and Rituals”
Mahmud Erol Kılıç, Ph.D., Prof.
Hikmet Koçak, MD. Prof.

Session１Mystical Thought of Sufis
Chairperson: Kenan Gürsoy, Ph.D., Prof.
Petek Kutucuoğlu, MA.Stu.
“Ahmed Avni Konuk’s Mathnawi Commentary and the Concept of　Predisposition”
Azusa Fujimoto, Ph.D.-C.
“New Spirituality and Sufism in Turkey: Focusing on Western Interpretations of Mawlana”
Reşat Öngören, Ph.D., Prof.
“Dimensions of Sufi Thought in Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi”

Session 2 Literature of Sufism
Chairperson: Masayuki Akahori, Ph.D., Prof.
Yasushi Tonaga, Ph.D., Prof.
“Arts of Literature, Music and Rituals in Buddhism”
Emine Yeniterzi, Ph.D., Prof.
“Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi’s Influence in Turkish Sufi Literature: Stories from Mathnawi”

Session 3：Sufi Music
Chairperson: H. Dilek Güldütuna, Ph.D., Asst. Prof.
Manami Suzuki, Ph.D., Asst. Prof.
“Ney in Mevlevi: Forming the Religious Specificity through the Image and Practice”
V. Emre Ömürlü, Ph.D., Prof. (Ph.D.-C)
“Mawlawi Collations (Muqabalah) in Mawlawi Rites and Types of Practicing Dhikr in Some Tariqas”

Session 4：Ritual of Sufism
Chairperson: Yasushi Tonaga, Ph.D., Prof.
H. Dilek Güldütuna, Ph.D., Asst. Prof.
“Wayfaring (Sayr wa Suluk) Symbolism in Sama’ Ritual”
Masayuki Akahori, Ph.D. Prof.
“Reviewing Anthropology of Sufism: Changing Perspectives”
F. Cangüzel Güner Zülfikar, Ph.D., Asst. Prof.
“Mawlawi-khanas as Civilized and Civilizing Spaces”

General Discussion:
Towards a Comprehensive Understanding of Sufism
Chairperson: F. Cangüzel Güner Zülfikar, Ph.D., Asst. Prof.

Posted on

Prof. Rachida Chih gave the lecture “The Presence of the Prophet”

Institute of Islamic Area Studies at Sophia University (SIAS), Center for Islamic Area Studies at Kyoto University (KIAS) and The Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies invited Prof. Rachida Chih (CNRS-CETOBaC, France) to hold a lecture as follows.

Date: June 11, 2023, Sunday, 13: 00-15: 00
Venue: Room 2-607, 6th floor, Bldg. No. 2, Sophia University (Face-to-face and Zoom “hybrid format”)

Program:
Rachida Chih (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique）“The Presence of the Prophet: The Construction of the Figure of Muhammad and the Politics of Prophetic Piety in Early Modern and Modern Islam”

Co-hosted by:
“Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey” (JSPS22H00034, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS: TONAGA Yasushi, Kyoto University )
“Anthropological Studies on Veneration of Saints and Holy Relics in Islam and Christianity” (JP19H00564, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS: AKAHORI Masayuki, Sophia University)



Posted on

The 1st Research Meeting (2023) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey” (“Moderate Islam”) was held

The 1st Research Meeting (2023) of “Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey” (“Moderate Islam”) was held as follows:

Date: June 11 (Sunday), 2023, 15: 00-17: 30
Venue: Building No. 2, 6th Floor, Room 2-603, Sophia University (Face-to-face and Zoom “hybrid format”)

Program:
WAZAKI Seika “Mainstream of Islam in Modern Uzbekistan: Thoughts of Muhammad Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf”
TONAGA Yasushi “Research Report: Indonesia”



Posted on

Prof. Rachida Chih gave her special lecture

The Kenan Rifai Center for Sufi Studies and Center for Islamic Area Studies at Kyoto University (KIAS) invited　Prof. Rachida Chih (CNRS-CETOBaC, France) to hold a lecture as follows.

Date: May 20, 2023, Saturday, 16:00-18:00
Venue: Room AA 447 (Meeting room), 4th floor, Research Bldg. No. 2, Kyoto University

Zoom Link:
https://kyoto-u-edu.zoom.us/j/85458237829?pwd=cHk1bFRzcEhVUFd1TW5nV2VGeWhidz09
Meeting ID: 854 5823 7829
Passcode: 205894

Program:
Rachida Chih (Centre national de la recherche scientifique）”Waking Visions of the Prophet and Sainthood in al-Jazūlī’s Dalā’il al-khayrāt (Fifteen century)”

Posted on

March 29, 2023: 5th Joint Research Meeting “Moderate Islam in Non-Arab World” was held

The 5th Joint Research Meeting “Moderate Islam in Non-Arab World” was held.

Date: March 29th, 2023, 14:00-17:00
Venue: Through online

Program:
KUSHIMOTO Hiroko (Sophia University)
“‘Extreme’ Moderation?: The Delicate Position of the ‘Moderate’ in Malaysia”

This Research Meeting was co-hosted by:
“Research on Moderate Islam in the Non-Arab World: From the Cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey” (JSPS22H00034, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), JSPS: TONAGA Yasushi, Kyoto University )
“An Attempt of Moderate Islam to Counter the Islamism: Focusing on “Religious Moderation” Policy of Indonesia” (Heiwa Nakajima Foundation, Aids for the Academic Research in Asia Region)